Des Moines?

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by rollagirl

I looking into moving to DesMoines. I currently live in mid-southern rural Missouri. Is there much difference? I would like a bigger city to live in for employment, but not the fear of crime and such for raising my children. Also, how is the church situation there? I'm looking to getting involved witha good church, leaving a good one here if/when I move. I attend and A/G. Thanks for any help. So far I've been reading some good posts.

There might be a few small differences in culture, but nothing major. You might have a slight accent and maybe be a little more Southern acting (as we tend to think people from Missour-uh are) and that's about it.

Churches? We have 'em. That's about all I know. What's A/G?

[metro223]

There are a lot of Assembly of God Churches around Des Moines. Really, a lot. Check the website for area locations. Heartland in Ankeny is a good church. Heres the link for it... But like I said - if you're not living on the North side of the metro where Ankeny is - there are plenty of others.

Welcome To Heartland Church!

As for cultural differences - I think there will be some considering you are basically in Ozark country. As for crime - the area is more middle class than anything so it's not hard to find safe areas.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by DSMGuy

I don't think we'll lose too much sleep over someone from a very dull place not wanting to move here. We seem to be liked by top business and relocation magazines, and we gain about 10K-15K new residents every year. Obviously a lot of ppl think it is worthwhile to move here.

So, maybe we don't have all the college things to do, but I would put DM "fun" up against CR-Marion "fun" any day.

10,000-15,000 suckers who like pushing paper in a cube and going home to cookie cutter suburbia. You can keep those people.

[DSMGuy]

And you can continue to stand around and watch your traffic lights change for entertainment.

[SharpHawkeye]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

10,000-15,000 suckers who like pushing paper in a cube and going home to cookie cutter suburbia. You can keep those people.

Please. That's like saying everyone in Marion is an engineering geek who goes off to the plant every day to sit in front of a computer and figure out more efficient ways to drop bombs on people. Or maybe they go to the plant to push the lever that smashes corn into Cap'n Crunch.

It's not fair to stereotype like that, be it Des Moines or Marion. Call it a draw.

[ukusmom]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

Agreed 100%. Maybe sometime we can all get together, grab a cup of cappuchino from QuikTrip and some curb and listen to JoeisSweet bedazzle us with tales of his urban exploits. From Kansas City to Johnston, IA and a family vacation in Chicago, he's seen it all. Maybe we can even go over to his place for Dr. Pepper and cookies and see a slideshow and he'll show us the snow globe he got from Chicago.

That's the most funny post I have seen on this entire forum!!!!!! You might see yourself right back where you started when you have a family and more to think about than which bar stays open the latest.

[serate]

Rollagirl I have relatives from near Rolla, there's not too much difference here in the Des Moines metro as far as how people act.

[IGetMoney247]

I've been an Iowa resident my whole life. I've gotten out of this city several times, and have lived all over the state for some time, but primarily have been a Des Moines resident for over 20 years.

I'll say this: Des Moines has the "city-life", but not the city b/s to go with it. Plus, if you want to experience a bigger city, you are only a 3-5 hour drive in any direction from a bigger metropolis with more going on. Des Moines is at the center of some bigger cities (i.e. Minneapolis, Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, etc.)

Des Moines is getting better with it's night life and dining. Take the Jordan Creek area for example - We've got some pretty cool restaurants that have popped up there over time. Downtown is coming back strong in the nightlife scene as well, with the Court Ave renovation.

I don't understand about the people who are complaining about living here. Why don't you just leave then? If you're here for employment and hate it THAT much, go get another job somewhere else. Your words don't justify your actions if you're still living here. It's not that hard to pack up your things and head out to another city.

I also get out of the state all the time. I'm always traveling somewhere to do something that I can't do here. Also, I will say that there is more to do in Des Moines than you think. Me being in my early 20's, I've found out there is more to do than I used to think was available. Add that to the fact that you get much more of a home for your money than in other places.

So there you have it. Des Moines has a lot to offer. If you don't like it, no problem. It's not for everyone, just like other expensive cities aren't for everyone. That's why there are other options for you out there.

[RonnieJonez]

Yes, people can move elsewhere. That option is available. That seems to be a recurring theme. I mean, do you really care that much what some stranger on a forum thinks of your city to the point where you demand they leave?

I don't think it's as easy to move as people make it out to be for the sake of argument though.

[jumbopackage]

I've been living in Des Moines/West Des Moines for the last 5 years or so, and I can say I absolutely love it. I moved here when I was roughly 25, and I'm 30 now.

I travel quite a bit for work (I spent over 100 days in various hotels last year) and I've been a LOT of places in the US, and I can honestly say there are only a handful of towns I'd rather live in. Most of them are simply due to geographic location (i.e. lakes, mountains and oceans nearby).

People in Des Moines are reasonable and friendly. Crime is reasonably low. It's a pretty clean city, and there is plenty to do. Court Ave is awesome. The western and northern 'burbs have all the chain restaurants and shopping you could want, but you can always find a few local places with awesome food if you're looking, and I think most of the city perfers them over the chains.

As far as areas to live in, downtownish is a good call. Aside from that, you might want to get a bit closer to the west side of town, as the areas between WDM and downtown are "interesting" and rather hit and miss in terms of quality. I'd say if you stay south of 235 and west of Fleur/MLK, you'll likely be fine until you get past the Drake area and then everything west of there from north to south is fine.

Crime-wise, most of the town is just fine. The southeast, east and northeast sides of town are worse than the west northwest and southwest, but none of it is that bad, honestly.

Jobs generally revolve around insurance or banking. It really depends on what you want to do, but outside of those two, there isn't a ton of other stuff, but there are opportunities.

Entertainment - depends on what you like. There are reasonable night spots around town. On Saturdays there is a farmers market. There are numerous decent parks around town, including Greys Lake which is close to downtown. There are TONS of bike trails around town, and biking is very popular in the summer months. Lots of places to eat. There is the I-Cubs - the cubs AAA affiliate - downtown, a semi-pro hockey team, and occassional concerts in the area.

Traffic is largely non-existant except during "rush hour", where the east-west roads get fairly clogged up, but it still pretty reasonable. If you live and work downtown, you won't have to worry about it.

No, Des Moines isn't a "big city", but it has everything you really want in a big city without most of the hassles. Minneapolis is fine too. In fact, I view Des Moines as a smaller version of Minneapolis, and if you like MSP, you'll probably like Des Moines too.

It's a great comprimise between big city living and small town life, IMO.